New hire provides another cleaning process at municipal center
By Elizabeth Perry
Stowe Code Enforcement Officer Edward Snyder has tendered his resignation.
Commissioner’s President Kelly Cropper-Hall said Snyder took a job with 911 dispatch.
“He had to do that for his family,” Cropper-Hall said.
Snyder became a father and made his decision based on that development in his personal life, Cropper-Hall said at the April 11 meeting.
This is the third code enforcement officer to leave the post in less than two years. Harry Serretti stepped away in January 2022, citing “safety concerns” in his resignation letter, and Nick Leffakis stepped down in July 2002 after five months because he said he lacked the resources to create the results which were expected by the board. Snyder was promoted to replace Leffakis in June 2022.
In August of that year, the board approved the purchase of a bullet-proof vest for Snyder, to protect the code enforcement officer when he was delivering citations.
Initially, Snyder, who had been working as a police dispatcher, was hired to help with trash violations.
At this point, the township is investigating the prospect of outsourcing code enforcement to KLH Code Enforcement, which is currently conducting building inspections on behalf of the township.
Board members are still interested in hiring an additional trash code enforcement officer, a
position that has remained vacant since Snyder left the position.
KLH Engineer, Jeff Marcink, said the company needed to work out a system of payment for outsourcing the service; he wasn’t sure at this point if the company would be compensated through a portion of each citation fee or through a fee schedule paid by the township.
‘Deep cleaning’
Township officials have hired Tammy Brewer to perform “deep cleaning” processes of the Stowe Township Municipal building at a rate of $30 per hour.
Members of the Public Works crew traditionally provide the cleaning service.
Commissioner Robin Parilla said that Public Works will continue to empty the trash and do other cleanings to maintain the building. Commissioner’s President Kelly Cropper-Hall said there would be less of a need for Brewer to come in and clean after the initial “deep cleaning” which could run anywhere between five to seven hours.
Parilla said in an interview after the meeting, he met Brewer at M@C Discount (mac.bid) where she works, and the two struck up an acquaintance. Before the pandemic, he said Brewer owned a cleaning company and he wanted to offer her the opportunity to do that kind of work again.
Parilla said there are currently no plans to replace Brewer with a cleaning company.
Township Secretary Roberta Farls said via email; “It's still being discussed if it is going to be internal or external.”
The job was not advertised prior to the hiring of Brewer.
Gary Matta, a managing partner for the township solicitor’s office Dodara, Matta and Cambest, said because the position was temporary, it did not legally need to be advertised.
“It’s not a union position so you don’t have to advertise it,” Matta said.
Attorney Matthew J. Creme Jr., an expert on municipal law, said that this process is fairly common.
“Advertising isn’t necessarily cost-effective in those part-time low-wage circumstances. People are going out and making phone calls, recruiting. As long as it’s not a family member, there’s no special handling,” Creme said.